18. Echo
ECHO
I felt Forever’s absence before opening my eyes the next morning. My hand patted the cold sheets where she should have been, then I sat up and reached for my phone.
Having her in our bed again made it easy to fall into a deep sleep, but even easier for her to slip out undetected.
I scrolled through my notifications. It was just past nine, and there were already three missed calls from Oliver, two from Solei, and one from my aunt.
But an alert from the security system across the hall caught my eye.
Motion Detected - 7:34 AM
Mmm.
I got out of bed, pulled a pair of sweats on, and tugged a shirt over my head, suddenly wide awake as I went to see what she was up to.
Forever didn’t have her access code, but that wouldn’t stop my wife from getting in if she wanted to.
The door to her apartment was wide open, and I shook my head as I entered to find the place a fucking disaster.
Drawers were pulled open and left that way, their contents spilled onto the floor. Books yanked from shelves, cushions thrown from the couch. It looked like someone had torn through looking for something specific.
But if I had to guess, she was searching for anything that might help her remember.
Fuck me.
This is what I wanted to avoid; my baby was really breaking my heart.
I stepped over a pile of magazines, moving deeper into the apartment. The kitchen was untouched, but the dining room had chairs pulled out at odd angles. She’d always been a thorough snooper; not much could be hidden from this woman if she went looking for it.
The rustling coming from the bedroom was where I focused my attention next, finding the door slightly ajar, and through it, I saw more chaos.
The bed was stripped, with the nightstand drawers hanging open beside it. I could hear her muttering to herself in the closet as I slipped inside, the beeping sound of fingers working at the safe lock.
I leaned against the door frame, watching as Forever knelt in front of the safe built into the back wall of the closet. She was wearing nothing but my T-shirt from last night, pretty ass dark skin on display for me to admire.
Her hair was wild from sleep, like always. Even though I’d given her something to tie it down with last night, nothing ever stayed on my wild sleeper but a bonnet.
She punched in another combination and sighed when it didn’t work.
“Try 01051991,” I said.
She didn’t even flinch at my voice. Just punched in the numbers without looking back at me.
“That’s your birthday,” she mumbled as the safe door swung open with a soft click. “Should’ve thought of that.”
Inside was a mini armory identical to the one she kept at her other place. Except this had shit I’d given to her personally: a custom Glock, three ceramic knives, smoke grenades, extra ammo, and two passports—one with her maiden name and the other her married name.
“I never felt like my apartment belonged to me,” she said, still not turning around.
I leaned against the closet doorway, letting my eyes wander over her bare legs. The shirt hung just below the curve of her ass, and I couldn’t help the way my dick reacted at the sight. My wife, half-naked in our home, surrounded by weapons?
Yeah, that did it for me.
“That’s because this one is a safe space,” I said, keeping my tone soft. “Your parents have too much access to the other one.”
She turned then, those beautiful eyes squinting slightly as she looked at me. I recognized that expression immediately.
“Your head hurt?” I asked.
She shook her head, but I could see the lie in the tightness around her mouth and shoulders.
“Don’t lie to me, baby. Come here.”
Without hesitation, she rose and crossed the space between us.
I pulled her into my arms, one hand sliding up to find its way into her hair.
My fingers pressed gently against her scalp, massaging in slow circles the way I knew would soothe her just a little.
She melted against me, her nose pressed into my chest as she inhaled.
“Have you thought about letting Dr. Holland run some tests on you?”
I knew it was a long shot, but she was slowly starting to trust me again. Might as well push my luck.
“After the ritual tomorrow,” she said softly, her words vibrating against me.
I wanted to push, but knew better than to rush her. Her body might remember me, but her mind was still finding its way back.
The moment we were having ended when her phone started ringing from somewhere in the bedroom. She pulled away from me, slipping past to retrieve it. I turned and watched as she stared at the screen without answering.
The ringing stopped, then started again almost immediately. She just stood there, phone in hand, doing nothing.
A third call came through. Then a fourth.
By the fifth, I started to get irritated, not with her, but with the caller.
“Who you ignoring, my forever?” I asked, leaning against the door frame. “Want me to answer?”
She scoffed and cut her eyes at me. “So you can be messy? No, thank you.”
I laughed, knowing exactly who was blowing her up now. The fuck boy who thought she belonged to him took the bait.
On the tenth call, she finally hit the answer button, putting it on speaker.
“Jayden, do you want to die?” she asked coolly.
My smile stretched wider at her threat.
We can do that anytime , I mouthed.
“Where the fuck are you?” Jayden yelled, wiping the smile right off my face.
Just like that, shit wasn’t funny anymore. The way he spoke to her and women in general didn’t sit right.
“I’ve been calling, and you aren’t at home or your office. The guard buzzed you multiple times last night.”
Forever sat on the edge of the bed.
“You know the rules. We only meet when the occasion calls for it. Nothing is on my calendar, so say what you have to say.”
I moved closer.
“When are you handling that man from the gala?” Jayden asked, voice dripping with entitlement.
Forever’s eyes flicked up to meet mine, a suspicious look crossing her face. I kept my expression neutral, but inside I was smiling again.
“I’m sorry, do I answer to you?” she replied, eyes still on me.
“Is there something going on between the two of you?”
She huffed dramatically.
“Yeah, I let him stick his tongue down my throat last night, and I’m thinking about letting him eat my pussy right now,” she said, giving me the feeling she meant the last statement. “Anything else you’d like to know?”
I love you.
Jayden laughed on the other end, obviously not believing her. “You should handle that before shit gets messy, Forever. I don’t want any issues leading up to the ceremony.”
She rolled her eyes, looking bored by his threats. Meanwhile, my body had decided to take her suggestion seriously. I dropped to my knees in front of her and gently pushed her thighs apart.
Her eyes went soft as she watched me watch her.
“We aren’t getting married,” she told him, a little breathless as my fingers slid up her bare thighs. “Especially now that I know who took Jeremiah’s life. A deal is a deal, Jayden. Your mother will be seeing me soon. Don’t call me again.”
She hung up and tossed the phone onto the bed, her eyes locked with mine.
“You saw him, didn’t you?” she asked, tucking that bottom lip between her teeth.
I grinned up at her.
“Does it matter? You belong to me, not him.”
My gaze dropped to where my shirt had ridden up her legs, revealing she wasn’t wearing anything underneath.
I loved this pretty ass pussy so much, missed it even more. My mouth watered at the chance to reunite.
“Can I have a taste of what belongs to me, my forever?”
Her answer was to lean back on her elbows, legs spreading wider in invitation. I hooked my arms under her thighs, pulling her to the edge of the bed. She let out a soft gasp as I worked my way up slowly, lips gently brushing her inner thigh on the way.
When my tongue finally met her clit, she locked me in place with her legs and lifted off the mattress.
I took my time eating my favorite meal, remembering what made her moan and thighs tremble. I savored her whimpers until they turned to breathless pleas.
“Echo,” she cried out, the nickname falling from her lips naturally now. “Please…”
I looked up, meeting her eyes as I worked her with my tongue. Her lips were parted, eyes heavy-lidded. She looked just like she used to, before everything went wrong. Like my wife, who remembered every moment between us.
I doubled my efforts, wanting to push her over the edge, to make her body remember what her mind couldn’t. My tongue circled her clit as I teased her entrance with my fingers before slowly pushing two inside, hooking them up into that sweet spot I could never forget.
Forever’s slick walls pulsed around my gentle taps.
“That’s it, my forever,” I murmured against her flesh. “Give me that.”
Her thighs tensed around my head as she gripped the sheets and came undone for me. I held her through it, gentle licks prolonging her pleasure until she pushed weakly at my shoulders, too sensitive for more.
I rested my cheek against her thigh, watching her chest rise and fall as she caught her breath. Her eyes were closed, face relaxed in a way I hadn’t seen since before she disappeared.
“You look like you remember me,” I said softly.
Her eyes fluttered open, finding mine.
“My body does,” she whispered. “The rest is still lost.”
I pulled my fingers from inside of her and licked them clean, head still using her inner thigh as my pillow.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I reassured, feeling the need to say it.
She reached for me, and I gave her what she wanted, falling into bed beside her.
“I believe you,” she whispered, lifting her leg over my body to straddle me. “I want more of you.”
I grabbed her face and brought her lips to mine.
“Have whatever you want from me, my forever. But first, why do you have to destroy this place?”
Her soft laugh vibrated against me as she dropped her head.
“Sorry. I wanted to see what you were hiding, and then I wanted to see if I could remember something.”
“Did you find what you were looking for?”
She nodded against my chest.
“This place feels more like home than anywhere I’ve ever lived.”
I tightened my arms around her, grateful she picked up what I knew to be true.
“Careful with your confessions, baby. I might lock you up until this is over.”
She shifted against me, pressing down hard on my erection.
“Is that a threat or a promise?”
I chuckled and flipped us, liking that I could be between her legs freely again.
“It’s whatever you want it to be.”
Right when she was about to reply, my phone interrupted us, reminding me I hadn’t called any of my family back.
Forever pulled it from my pocket and turned it to face me.
“Answer it,” I said, letting her swipe the screen and put it on speaker phone. “Yes, Solei.”
My sister smacked her lips, knowing she didn’t want shit but still calling anyway.
“What’s with the ritual invite on your desk?” she asked. “Oliver and I want to know if you plan to go alone. It says you have a plus one.”
Forever’s eyes met mine, and I blew her a kiss.
“Sorry to disappoint, but I am the plus one, kid.”
She was silent for a minute, but I swear I could hear the knowing smile spread across her face before she spoke again.
“Oh, I see,” she mused playfully. “Your forever is warming up to you, and now you don’t need us anymore.”
I chuckled.
“Something like that. Ain’t there a situation you need to be handling? I can’t make introductions if you ain’t moving accordingly, Sol.”
There was a dissolving body that needed her focus.
“I hear you. Tell our forever I said hi.”
She ended the call, and Forever set it aside.
“They really like me, huh?”
It was as if she couldn’t believe it, but time would prove otherwise.
“Yeah, they do, baby…” I reluctantly removed myself from bed and looked around. “Let me feed you, and then we need to talk about tomorrow.”
She sat up, lip tucked between her teeth.
I knew what her nasty ass was thinking, but there was time for that.
“Take a cold shower, my forever,” I ordered, leaving the bedroom with a smile on my face. “Meet me across the hall when you’ve gathered yourself.”
Some shit took precedent over our desires, and making it out of the ritual alive tomorrow was one of them.